Technology - Google News

New Apple Watch and iPad, but no iPhone 12: What to expect from Apple's September event - CNET
Astra’s first attempt to reach orbit ends early after rocket fails mid-flight - The Verge
Apple announces new App Store rules - PhoneArena

New Apple Watch and iPad, but no iPhone 12: What to expect from Apple's September event - CNET

Posted: 12 Sep 2020 04:00 AM PDT

After months of speculating whether or not we'll get an iPhone 12 and Apple Watch 6 in the same timeframe as previous years, , Apple has confirmed it will host a September launch event in 2020 -- virtually, of course. The company sent out the official invite for Sept.15 at 10a.m. PT that can be accessed via Apple's website, YouTube channel or through the events app on Apple TV. Any other year, the headliner of this event would be obvious: a new iPhone. But the mess that is 2020 has likely forced some changes to the lineup.

Though Apple hasn't released an official statement about what we can expect, the company did warn investors in July that the next iPhone would be delayed by "a few weeks". A number of outlets, including CNET and Bloomberg, have also suggested we won't see an iPhone 12 until at least mid-October.

But even with a new iPhone out of the equation, there's still a lot left for Apple to announce on Tuesday. We're expecting new hardware, software and subscription services at this event.

Now playing: Watch this: No iPhone 12, now what? Apple's September event preview

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Hidden clues in the invite

The tag line "Time flies" on the invitation hints that the Apple Watch will be the headliner of this event. But there's also a very clear nod to augmented reality. Clicking on the event logo in Safari prompts the date of the event, 9.15, to appear as an AR animation. This could refer to a time of flight sensor that was rumored to come to the iPhone this year, like the one on the 2020 iPad Pro. Or it could hint at more AR Kit capabilities on the next iPad Air, which is also rumored to get a refresh at this event.

We can dissect the invite all day, but the only thing we know for certain is the time and date of this event. If 2020 has taught us something, it's that we really can't rule anything out. Instead, let's focus on what we know right now.

Several Apple Watches and iPads in the pipeline

Apple has filed multiple versions of the iPad and Apple Watch with the Eurasian Economic Commission, as originally reported by French tech site Comsomac. In the past, filings have provided a fairly accurate insight into what Apple may be launching next.

apple-iphone-11-se-watch-5 — Angela Lang/CNET

The Apple Watch Series 6 is expected to have better battery life for more robust sleep tracking, and at least one new health tracking feature. The strongest rumor seems to be about new SpO2 or blood oxygen level tracking.

Read more: Apple Watch Series 6 rumors.

The other surprise may be a cheaper version of the Apple Watch, possibly called the Apple Watch SE, with the same look and feel as the current Series 3. It's likely it would cost the same, starting at $200 , but come with a newer processor.

The latest rumors about the iPad Air refresh point to a larger screen without bezels and a similar design to the current Pro model. That means flat edges and no home button. Rather than replacing TouchID with FaceID, rumors point to a TouchID sensor integrated into the side button. The updated iPad would likely also get an upgraded processor, as the current Air still uses Apple's older A10 chip. It may also switch to USB-C instead of a Lightning connector like the iPad Pro. The better processor would enable more ARKit capabilities, though not quite as advanced as what you get from the iPad Pro with its depth-sensing Lidar scanner.

Learn more about the expected new iPads here.

Software: WatchOS 7 and iPadOS 14 may get a full release

With the Apple Watch 6 and iPad Air out in the wild, it would only make sense for Apple to release their corresponding OS updates as well.

Releasing the final version of WatchOS 7 is a no-brainer. This update enables sleep tracking on existing Apple Watches (Series 3 or higher) and includes a new hand washing feature. Releasing just iPadOS on its own would be tricky because it's so interlaced with iOS 14, so Apple might wait to launch the new mobile OS alongside the new iPhone 12 in October.

New fitness service and a bundle called Apple One

Last year Apple went all-in with subscription services like Apple TV Plus, News Plus, and Apple Arcade, and we may not have seen the last of it. Apple is rumored to be launching a new fitness service with guided workouts, mostly geared to the Apple Watch, but also available to stream on the iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. There are plenty of third party apps that do this already, but this one would be Apple branded and directly integrated with the Health app, similar to what Fitbit offers with its Premium subscription service that costs $10 per month.

And if all that sounds like subscription overload, there's a bundle for that. Apple is also said to be launching a new subscription services bundle called Apple One. 9to5Google even found a reference of this hidden in the code of the Android version of Apple Music.

The other products that could make an appearance

There's also a possibility of one more thing at the end of the virtual presentation. If that's the case, here are a few other products we've been hearing rumors about that could make an appearance. In order of most to least likely:

Join us live for our Apple event preview at 9:30 a.m. PT on Sept. 15 on CNET.com and on YouTube, along with post event analysis following the announcements.

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Astra’s first attempt to reach orbit ends early after rocket fails mid-flight - The Verge

Posted: 12 Sep 2020 06:20 AM PDT

The first orbital mission for rocket launch startup Astra ended without its Rocket 3.1 reaching orbit. The rocket successfully lifted off from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Alaska at about 11:19PM ET Friday, but the company said its guidance system "introduced some slight oscillation into the flight," which caused the rocket to drift from its planned trajectory. The flight safety system shut down the engines, and the rocket fell back to the ground. It wasn't carrying any payloads.

A spectator caught the launch on video, showing the rocket's ascent. In the footage, the rocket's engine shuts off mid-flight and a few moments later, you can see flames as the rocket hits the ground.

The company's stated objective with this flight was to have a nominal first stage burn, which apparently didn't quite happen since that's when the engine shutdown occurred. But Astra wasn't planning to reach orbit with this launch. And it says its preliminary data showed the rocket performed very well.

"We didn't meet all of our objectives, but we did gain valuable experience, plus even more valuable flight data," the company said in a blog post Saturday. "This launch sets us well on our way to reaching orbit within two additional flights, so we're happy with the result."

Successful lift off and fly out, but the flight ended during the first stage burn. It does look like we got a good amount of nominal flight time. More updates to come!
— Astra (@Astra) September 12, 2020

Astra is a very small team — small enough that it says it doesn't have a video production crew to broadcast its launches— and says its launch system was developed by six people in less than a week. Astra says its Rocket 3.2 is ready and it plans another launch in the next few months.

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Apple announces new App Store rules - PhoneArena

Posted: 11 Sep 2020 09:15 PM PDT

Ah yes, the Apple App Store. Many of us who are as old as dirt (like yours truly) can remember when Apple and Google would every now and then reveal how many apps were in the App Store and the Android Market. In late 2009, IDC forecast that the launch of Apple's rumored tablet would help the number of apps in the iOS storefront hit 300,000 a year later. And you might remember how Apple marketed the store. For just about everything, Apple would tell us that "there's an app for that."

Apple will allow some game streaming services to be available in the App Store with caveats.

Now, with approximately 2.2 billion apps in the App Store, the latter has become something of a legal and regulatory headache to Apple despite the money that it generates for the company's vault. The infamous Apple Tax gives Apple a 30% cut of in-app purchases, and because the company doesn't allow iOS users to install an app from a third-party app store, Apple is forcing users to pay more for certain apps. This is the subject of a class-action suit against Apple and investigations by regulatory agencies in the U.S. and Europe; last year the U.S. Supreme Court, by a 5-4 vote, ruled that the plaintiffs could seek to prove that Apple acted as a monopoly by raising the price of App Store apps. But Apple claims that its role as far as the App Store is concerned, is that of an intermediary and that it should not be named in this lawsuit. Disagreeing with Apple, the Supreme Court said that iPhone and iPad users buy their apps directly from Apple. This allows iOS and iPadOS device owners to sue Apple directly.

Google Stadia and other game streamers are now allowed, with certain rules, in the App Store

With iOS 14 on the verge of being released, CNBC reports that Apple has revised its App Store guidelines for the upcoming build of iOS. These guidelines are used by Apple employees to approve or deny apps and/or app updates in the App Store. This is a very timely matter considering that Apple recently removed the popular game Fortnite from the App Store and closed the developer accounts belonging to Epic Games late last month. Epic had violated Apple's regulations that prevent developers from trying to work around the 30% Apple Tax by offering their own direct payment system.

Some Fortnite users who had downloaded the game from the App Store were given the option by Epic of subscribing to it by making a direct payment to Epic. The developer offered a 20% discount amounting to $2 (@ $7.99) to those who took Epic up on its offer. Apple charges $9.99 to subscribe to the game through its in-app payment platform.

Apple will now allow certain game streaming services like Google Stadia and Microsoft xCloud in the iOS app storefront with some caveats. Games must be downloaded directly from the App Store and not from an "all-in-one app." The developers will be allowed to offer a "catalog app" that links to other games in the service, but each game has to be an individual app. This means that if a streaming service has 100 games, each one will need an individual App Store listing and a developer account with Apple. The games will have to offer some type of basic functionality when installed and accept Apple's in-app purchasing system that gives the tech giant a 30% cut of such purchases.

A Microsoft spokesperson said, "This remains a bad experience for customers. Gamers want to jump directly into a game from their curated catalog within one app just like they do with movies or songs, and not be forced to download over 100 apps to play individual games from the cloud." Apple wants the streaming services to be like a bundle of games and says that it will have to vet each game individually. The company offers its own bundle of iOS games that can be subscribed to; this, of course, is Apple Arcade.

One other change made by Apple affects one-on-one individual lessons offered via the App Store. Such virtual lessons can now be offered without Apple taking its 30% cut. However, Apple will still take the 30% for classes being taught to multiple students by one teacher.

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